Spark
by Mortal-NI6
Summary: NarutoxAvatar crossover challenge. Naruto was born into a unique line of benders, able to create and manipulate Lightning. On his eight birthday, his Island is attacked and his people massacred. He escapes, but not without harboring a deep hatred for the Fire Nation, the nation responsible for his suffering.
1. Spark

_**A/N: **_**Hello to anyone and everyone reading this fic. This is challenge taken on by myself from my fellow author, The Best of Naruto. If you need a challenge go check his account out. Anyways, hope you enjoy.**

**Oh, and one more thing. In this story, Lightning IS AN OFFICIAL ELEMENT.**

**C_hapter_ 1: Spark**

* * *

_Water. Earth. Fire. Air._

_But, there was another element, a rear, and by far most powerful element:_

_Lightning._

_Though, it is said that bending lightning is an advanced form of fire bending, this is not entirely correct. Lightning is an element on its own, with only one nation known for this gift. Just as a waterbender can create Ice and steam, only a select few firebenders could achieve even a single spark of lightning. _

_Naturally born Lightningbenders could create and manipulated lightning in such a way, that even the most difficult technique to an 'advanced' Firebender could be easily achieved. _

_The element of lightning is only selective in one group of people, not even the Avatar could attain its power._

_They are a strange civilization, avoiding conflicts as much as possible, due to a horrible past. _

* * *

_A young boy leapt from a rooftop towering over the village_, grinning and laughing as he plummeted to the ground. His sun-kissed blonde hair waved wildly in the breeze and his bright blue eyes were wide, ignoring the tears that were leaving his eyes.

He landed, rolling on the floor to cushion his fall. He quickly stood up, looking back and watching the three figures pursuing him from a distance.

As they neared the building he had just jumped from, they halted, moving to the edge to check the height of the drop. It was long. Certainly, it was going to be a hard fall. They made no other advances, making the blonde boy grin mockingly.

One man moved back and started to run. He jumped off the edge, landing with ease next to him. And with the man's display the others gained confidence, for they too leapt off the building, landing with less ease than the man from earlier.

The man moved to grab him, but before he could, the blonde was already on the next roof racing away, getting further and further away.

"NARUTO!"

Naruto chuckled when he heard the sound of his name. He shook his head in mock disappointment, _Amateurs. _The academy knew better than to send beginners after him.

Still lost in his train of thoughts, the whisker-marked blonde didn't notice the figure in front of him before it was too late.

His face, then body, crashed right into the stomach of another man, knocking them both to the ground in a mess of fraying limbs.

Naruto, being unhurt got up from the side of the groaning man.

"Ugh… Naruto, what was that for?" The man said as he got up from the floor.

Naruto looked up at the man and smiled, "Hey, Iruka-sensei, I didn't mean to hit you… just wasn't paying attention."

"Sure you weren't." The brown-haired man dusted off his pants, "And you're supposed to be in class."

Naruto turned to make an escape but Iruka grabbed him by the collar, "Oh, you're not going anywhere."

* * *

"So, can anyone tell us what is occurring one month from now?" Iruka asked from his place in front of the class.

"No school!" The students all screamed out.

He laughed a bit, "Besides that."

Naruto groaned, looking up and raising his hand.

"Ah, yes, Naruto."

All eyes were on him. "Well, it marks the day that all the people of lightning origin came together to once again reform the land of lightning."

Iruka nodded and smiled, "That's very correct Naruto." He moved back to his desk and pulled out from behind his desk a long map that was rolled up and sealed. "Now, I need two people to help me with this map." He called on two unsuspecting students who reluctantly came up to hold the map in front of the class.

It was a map of the world, displaying the four major continents.

"Now, we are all aware of the major continents right? As well as the five elements: Lightning, Fire, earth, water, and air… well I guess air is not part of the elements anymore." After the class nodded, Iruka continued. "Now, here we are, located just below the fire nation."

He pointed down to an area with a small dark blue piece of land under the fire nation. "So, there is one Main Island that makes up the land of lightning. Anyone want to tell us where we, the village of lightning is located?"

A red-haired girl raised her hand, to which Iruka acknowledged. "We live in the center." She said.

"Thank you, Haruna." Iruka nodded, pointing to the area in between two others which was the largest one too. "We live in the capital of the land of lightning, the most populated area. Now, Two hundred years ago the land we live in was engulfed in a civil war that decimated the Island, and if it wasn't for the fire nation's help, we wouldn't exist today.

"You mean the Senju Uzumaki civil war right?" Naruto asked.

"Yes." Iruka answered. "The Senju and Uzumaki clans make up most of this nation's population. Like you Naruto, you're an Uzumaki and I'm a Senju. Most of this class is either from one clan or the other."

"So, how did this civil war start?" The red-haired girl from earlier asked. Even Naruto was intrigued by the civil war. He had only heard little details about it from his parents, but not too much because he usually wasn't very interested in historical events like these, but now he was.

"Ya, how did it start?" Naruto added as the rest of the class nodded.

Iruka smiled, enjoying the fact that they actually wanted to learn about it. He told the students with the map to go take a seat as he rolled it up again. "The civil war was actually started by the Senju clan. The head of the clan at the time, Hashirama, was a power-hungry man who wanted to take the seat of Raikage. And when the current kage died, there would be a civilian election to choose the next Raikage. The choice was between the Uzumaki clan head, Darui, and him."

"Hashirama did everything thing he could to become leader, from making false promises to propaganda, but in the end, the land of lightning chose Darui Uzumaki. The man was enraged by the outcome and started to plot. But before he did anything, he had to turn the Senju's friendship for the Uzumaki into hatred."

"Did he do it?" Someone asked.

Iruka nodded. "He succeeded by making up stories of how the Senju were the most oppressed clan in the land of lightning, saying that the land hadn't had a Senju leader in over two generations. He used these things to turn the hearts of the Senju away from the Uzumaki and all the others in the Nation. One bolt of lightning sparked the war and it didn't end for the next thirty years."

Naruto raised his hand. "When did the fire nation get involved?"

"Since the battle was at a stalemate, the Uzumaki and the other supporting clans requested assistance from our closest neighbors, the Fire Nation. Thankfully, they agreed to help. This ended the stalemate and drove the Senju back until they were defeated. Darui Uzumaki fought Hashirama; the end effect was both of their deaths… people even say that their battle destroyed one-third of the island."

Naruto tried to visualize in his mind how the battle went.

"When the war was over," Iuka continued, pulling Naruto from his thoughts, "The whole nation was in ruins and thousands of lighting benders left the Islands. It stayed this way for fifty years. But about one hundred twenty years ago, before the world war, the Uzumaki and Senju clans reformed, and with more help from the Fire Nation, many with lightning origin returned to reform the land of lightning... but our nation has never been the same since then."

There was a question bouncing around in Naruto's head that needed to be answered. "Sensei, are we still allies with the Fire nation?"

Iruka smiled, "You know, Naruto you could always ask your father these questions." He said, causing the whole class to snicker, "But… yes and no. We are sort of like allies… but not entirely. Though, we are grateful to them for helping us we still don't partake in the war they caused. We only provide them with materials along with others nations so that we remain neutral. But we do provide the fire nation more resources than to the others."

Naruto nodded, letting his mind wander. The minutes passed into hours, and before he knew it school was over.

As he grabbed his belongings and left the room, he felt someone tap his shoulder. He didn't even need to turn to know who it was.

"Hey, Naruto-kun," Haruna, the redhead from earlier chirped. "Where're you headed?"

Naruto smiled as she joined him at his side. "I'm on my way to get some ramen and then to train with my mother."

"Oh, can I come with you?"

Naruto nodded, while looking around for someone. He searched around the mass of academy students leaving the school and still didn't find the person he was looking for.

"Are you looking for Takashi?" Haruna asked.

Naruto looked around, scratching his whisker-marked cheek. "Yeah, he's supposed to meet me here after school. I hope he didn't forget."

"Nah," Haruna said, "He's probably outside or something." She started to walk towards the front doors of the academy. "Are you coming?"

"Sure," the blonde replied as both of them walked out the doors with others students. When they were outside Naruto looked up into the sky, seeing the part of the village which had massive buildings that he always liked to leap from.

Even though the village of lightning was called a village, it was in no way shape or form the size of anything normally considered a _village. _It was more like a small city that was the most populated part of the land of lightning. It was also surrounded by thick forests and mountains.

"Naruto, I think I see Takashi… and he's in trouble." Haruna said. She pointed to a spot in the playground next to a set of swings. Naruto followed her finger until he saw where she was pointing to.

"Come on," Naruto said while breaking into a sprint, almost leaving Haruna behind.

When they approached the playground, Naruto's blood boiled in anger at the sight. Three large boys were there, two of them had pinned a short boy by the arms while the other was punching mercilessly at the short boy.

Naruto didn't stop running. He slammed directly into the boy who was punching his friend.

The older boy gasped in surprise as he felt a force throw him in the grass, causing the others to let go of the smaller boy. Naruto stood up and turned to the others.

"Leave him alone!" he yelled, taking a step forward. The boys weren't deterred. They also took a step forward.

"Who's gonna make us?"

Naruto raised both arms up and pointed his fingers at both boys.

Bolts of lightning erupted from his finger tips, striking the two boys full on. They screamed in pain while the shocks ran through their bodies, stunning them and bringing them to the ground.

As they fell, Naruto felt a heavy fist crash into the back of his skull. He whirled around quickly, only to have another fist crackling with lightning hit his stomach.

He coughed up blood as he was pushed to ground. He looked up to see the boy he had knocked down earlier standing over him.

"Just because you're the son of the Raikage doesn't mean I'm scared of hurting you," the boy said. From his position on the ground, Naruto noticed the boy's height. He was tall. He had to be at least fourteen.

Naruto stood up while laughing a bit. "Why's a teen like you picking on seven-year-olds? Can't you go fight someone your own age?"

"Yeah," Haruna yelled as she ran to the boy behind Naruto.

The older teen growled. He then looked at the others that Naruto had _electrocuted._ They were rubbing their heads and groaning.

"Get up!" the leader snapped, walking away. "We're leaving." They weakly got up and started running… limping after him.

After they left, Naruto turned to the boy that Haruna was helping. "Are you alright Takashi?" The brown-haired boy nodded. He wasn't too injured, only a few scratches and a bruised lip.

Naruto helped him get onto his feet.

"What did you do to them?" Haruna asked.

Takashi shook his head. "I don't even know. They just…" he sighed, "I don't know."

Haruna wrapped an arm around his shoulder, "You're okay, so don't worry about it. They were older than us."

"Anyways," Naruto announced, trying to cheer his friend up. "Let's go get some ramen!"

* * *

Naruto panted, feeling sweat soak his entire body. He moved to side, narrowly avoiding a compressed bolt of lightning that struck the wall behind him. It was more like a small beam of light no smaller than a pencil in length and width.

Lightning crackled around his fist as he ran towards his opponent.

The person didn't move. She raised one hand up to deflect Naruto's fist, her hand staying motionless as it stuck.

Naruto grit his teeth as he felt a knee connect with his abdomen. But he didn't stop his assault. Lightning danced around both fists while he struck out with swift blows aimed at the person in front of him.

She dodged them easily.

Her hand became a blur as she knocked him off his feet and onto the hard floor, pinning him down.

"Ok Naruto-kun," Kushina said, letting him go. "That's enough for today."

"Oh, come on Kaa-san," Naruto whined, "I can still fight." He picked himself off the floor with a groan. His mother just smirked.

"Listen to your mother Naruto." Minato walked into the room with a wave. "You're doing great. There's no need to rush things."

"You're not going to be joining the army for eight more years." His mother added.

Naruto shook his head in disagreement. "I'm still not as strong as you guys were when you we're my age." He looked down, "I thought children we're supposed to surpass their parents…"

Minato walked to Naruto and kneeled down, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Son, everybody's different. We all advance at different rates than each other; your mother and I just happened to learn faster. I have no doubt in my mind that you'll one day surpass us."

"Ok Tou-san." Naruto smiled.

"Naruto-kun," his mother said. "Don't think I didn't hear about those pranks you pulled earlier today."

Naruto gulped.

* * *

_*Fire Nation*_

The fire was bright, but also dim in a way. The flames only seemed to illuminate the front of the throne room, but not the back.

Ten figures stood before the fire lord, stiff as statues but as bold as lions. They looked up, peering into the flames.

The silhouette of a man stood up, both arms behind his back, his robe reaching to the ground. He breathed deeply, causing the fire to raise a considerable amount before he exhaled, bringing the flames back to its normal height.

"I am in need of your assistance," the fire lord spoke.

"What for, my lord?" A dark-haired man dressed in a dark cloak asked. The bottom half of his face was concealed under a high collar.

"As you already know, the village of lightning has been a valuable ally to us for the past century." The fire lord paced, "They choose to remain neutral and don't get involved in the war."

He paused. "They have provided us with materials in exchange for leaving them alone."

"Un, so what does this have to do with us?" Another one, a yellow-haired man said. His hair was long, reaching his shoulders.

"Right now, the war is reaching its climax and we need massive amounts of supplies. The village of lightning also provides materials to other nations and their islands have an abundant amount of—"

"Metal…" The black-haired man cut in. "Therefore, by attacking, it will not only strengthen us, but also weaken the other nations…"

"Precisely, Itachi," Ozai nodded. "Now, as I speak, the war council is preparing to invade the village of lightning… and I need Akatsuki."

* * *

**A/N****: **So there it is. Sorry if it seemed a little rushed, but I'm not trying to spend a lot of time before the attack begins.

**Akatsuki:** Yes, they're in the Avatar world. In fact, some of the Naruto characters will be incorporated into the story. They were all born in the avatar world; But, back to Akatsuki. They are a special group of benders loyal to the Fire lord, not necessarily all Fire benders though; each of them posses a unique ability with their element. For example, they're special like 'combustion man' who could fire bend with his mind and cause explosion.

**Oh, **and about the history of the LIghtning village, I made Hashirama the villain 'cause I just don't like him. No, but seriously, he was the only one that could be used. Also, the Uzumaki and the senju are the two main clans in th village, but not the only ones.

The Avatar can't bend Lightning, or maybe...

**HOPE you enjoyed... NI6 :)**


	2. The calm before the storm

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that reviewed.**

**C**_**hapter 2:** _The calm before the storm

* * *

_Lightning. __It is the element of surprise. __It is swift, unpredictable, and powerful! __Lighting never strikes the same place twice, and its speed and raw energy is unmatched._

* * *

_Itachi Uchiha was many things,_ a genius, a prodigy, an optimist, even a pacifist. But when push came to shove, he would swiftly abandon his ideals if it meant protecting his nation and the values it held. In his mind, the betterment of the fire nation came before any personal feelings or natural impulses.

Even so, he couldn't help but doubt Ozai's newest declaration to attack, not only attack—but to eradicate the land of lightning as a whole, from the oldest to the youngest, the weakest to the most powerful, everything and everyone.

Though he could see the reason for the plan—he even voiced the benefits—there would still be grave consequences if they were to succeed.

No, _when_ they succeeded.

The moment Ozai had announced the new plan, Itachi could only remember of how fire lord Sozin had ended the air nomads. That act had sent shock waves of unbalance careening throughout the world. The five elements, then was reduced to four, now it would be reduced to three.

The attack, it would succeed. Itachi was certain of it one way or the other. Still, he could feel it. When victory came, so would downfall, as if by destroying the land of lightning, the fire nation would only end up hurting itself more than helping.

It was a well know fact that the fire nation had once assisted the land of lightning in putting an end to their bloody civil war almost two-hundred years back. That partial alliance had helped both nations develop a mutual trust for the other.

Though that trust was hurt when the fire nation began the hundred year war, there was still a small amount of friendship between the two nations, hence why there hadn't been an attack by either nations… until now that is.

Itachi knew that the fire nation would use that small remaining trust to destroy the Land of lightning, for good.

It was only a matter of time.

As he walked down the dimly lit and nearly vacant hallway leading to the throne room, Itachi could hear the audible clanks of his boots echoing off the steel walls. He personally didn't enjoy wearing the high-ranking military uniform, but it was required where he was headed.

Ozai had requested he come to the war meeting to plan—mostly listen to—the invasion. Since he was going to be apart of it, he might as well attend to find his part in the attack.

However he wasn't the only one attending.

"We're really late."

Itachi glanced to the right, shrugging at his companion's comment. The man was tall, standing well over six feet, with well-developed muscles visible even under his military uniform. A massive sword wrapped under layers of bandages lay on his back.

But if one thing was strange about this man, it had to be his skin: a startling blue.

"Hope we don't get in trouble," the man continued sarcastically, cracking his knuckles. He was the kind of person Itachi would describe as… _laid back._

"We won't, Kisame." Itachi assured, even though his partner was only joking. "This meeting was on short notice, and plus I don't believe we're that late." He motioned towards the people walking to the same destination as they. Some gave the two a respectful nod before carrying on.

"Whatever." Kisame mumbled, resting both hands behind head. He sighed dramatically before turning back to Itachi. "Why do I even have to come to this war meeting?"

"Because you're needed…" It was a simple answer, really.

As they approached the curtains leading to the throne room, Itachi looked around and saw servants filing out of the room with trays in their hands. Seeing the pair, the guards at the entrance opened the crimson curtains wide to let them inside.

Once they entered, the talking ceased and Itachi could feel many of them looking at him and Kisame… mostly Kisame. There were many people in the throne room, at least twenty of them, some still entering. Since this meeting was of great importance, more people were in the room, as opposed to the normal eight or so people who were usually there. They all sat on the ground, legs crossed, with a huge table displaying a rectangular map in between all of them.

"Nice of you to join us, Kisame, Itachi," the fire lord spoke from his place on the throne. Though there were no flames burning at the moment, the room was bright—certainly brighter than when the flames _did_ burn.

The two men bowed their heads and found a place to sit, next to general Fong, a middle-aged man with slightly graying hair.

Once things were settled, the meeting began.

"General Shinu," Ozai requested, "your report."

The man stood up with a brisk nod, pointing a small cane to land of lightning. He was a man of small stature, but what he lacked in size, he made up for in skill.

"As of now," he began, "most of our forces are either stationed in the fire nation or in the earth kingdom. And if we wish to launch a full-scale invasion on the land of lightning, we'll need troops, many troops."

Ozai stroked his beard. "Troops, how many?"

"If we wish to end this quickly, I would say up to ten-thousand, sir."

Itachi raised a brow at the mention of such a number, certain that he wasn't the only one surprised at the amount. He hadn't heard of that many being used in a while, since general Iroh's _Siege of Ba Sing Se. _

"Not to mention ships." Someone added.

"Very well," Ozai announced after a moment of thought. "I believe it can be done. We will however need to pull some troops from the earth kingdom, fine." He paused, "Now for the invasion, general Fong?"

The man sitting next to Itachi stood up and came around to the back of the table. "My lord, there are several things to consider with this invasion. One of them is whether we want this to be swift and decisive, or if we want to use force alone to win."

The fire lord frowned, clasping his palms together. "Are you saying that their island can be taken in one large-scale attack?"

The general, Fong nodded. "It's not impossible. Admiral Nagato and I have worked on a strategy that will surely give us victory."

"Go on," Said Ozai, leaning in with interest.

The general nodded once more and strode closer to the map.

"As many of you may or may not know one month from now is 'the day of reformation', a day set by the land of lightning to celebrate the end of their dreadful civil war and the day their nation was restored."

"What are you suggesting?" Ozai asked, and Itachi could already speculate what the plan was, or at least portions of it.

Fong folded his hands behind his back, "This is the perfect day to attack. We strike when our enemy is least expectant. As intelligence reports show, a great celebration occurs on this day. And they do the one thing a nation should never do… drop their guard."

It was a surprise attack.

Many of the people murmured in agreement.

_True, _Itachi admitted to himself.

"Yes, yes." The fire lord said, stroking his beard again. A sinister smirk crept up on his features, "Strike when they're least expecting."

Itachi leaned forward a bit, eyes sweeping over the huge rectangular map resting just ahead of him. He glanced around and saw the serious faces of those taking part in the meeting, many nodding, if slightly.

"Sir," a man said, raising his hand for permission to speak, which was acknowledged. His crimson hair was long, reaching his shoulders, and covering his eyes. He held an air of power that didn't go unnoticed by Itachi, it never did.

He was Nagato, Admiral, and second in command of Akatsuki.

"We must not be conceited." He continued, "Should I remind us that these people can bend lightning, something that is almost impossible for fire benders to achieve? They will truly be a difficult target… even with surprise on our side."

"Indeed," Ozai agreed, to Itachi's distant surprise, "we will expand on this strategy. But I have already set a plan in motion."

_A plan… _Itachi wondered. But whatever it was, he knew it would only serve to accelerate the war. He shifted slightly, almost as if preparing himself for the soon-to-come battle with the lightning benders.

* * *

"Come on Naruto," Haruna's voice reached his ears, "were gonna miss it."

Naruto watched her running toward the street to see something. They had just gotten out of school a few minutes ago and she was already urging him to come with her. For what, he didn't know.

"Okay." Naruto called back, following behind in a slower pace. He breathed in slowly, enjoying the warm rays of the sun as it bathed him in its heat.

Cold weather was practically nonexistent in the land of lightning as it was always receiving direct sunlight all year long—something about being in the equator. So naturally he hadn't experienced cold temperatures, and in actuality, he didn't _want_ to experience it. His godfather had told him about his trips to the northern water tribe, describing them as a truly _chilling_ experience_, _literally.

When he caught up with her, she had slowed down to a stop and was staring straight ahead.

"So," he said, shouldering his bag pack, and shooting her a glance, "watcha looking at?"

The redhead didn't seem to hear; she kept staring at something, and Naruto raised a brow, turning in the same direction, but he couldn't see anything.

He shook her shoulder, "Um, what're you looking at?"

Haruna snapped out of it and turned back to him. "Oh, sorry, just looking at the little parade." She pointed straight ahead, to a little street corner that he had missed, partly because of the trees blocking parts of it.

Kids and their parents were already moving to view the small parade.

"What are they doing?" Naruto asked, gawking at the sight.

"It's a practice parade for reformation day. My dad was taking about it this morning."

"Oh," Naruto said in realization. He moved his head closer and caught a glimpse of people in costumes and such as was in any parade. "But why so early?"

She shrugged, "don't know."

"Hey, let's go see," he took her by the arm and pulled her to the edge of the street to get a closer look. They saw a few people in costumes, twirling flags, playing instruments, and dancing.

Though the real celebration was going to be bigger—much, much bigger—the citizens lining up to watch were already buzzing with excitement.

Including Naruto, because his birthday was on the same day as the celebration, and he couldn't wait.

When the mini-parade passed, they continued down the road and farther away from the academy gates. People were on the streets going on with their business, kids playing around, and soldiers patrolling the streets, life as usual. Some people even waved at him. He was apparently well-known in the village, one, because his father was leader, and two, for his constant pranks on random patrolling soldiers.

It was funny to him, a way to cheer people up.

When people—mostly soldiers—would report him straight to his father, Minato would say something like "I'll make sure he's punished" while secretly he would ask him what he did. And more often than not, Minato would roar out in laughter when he told him, rather than _making sure he was punished._

"You're lucky," Haruna suddenly voiced, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Huh? What do you mean, Haruna-chan?"

"I mean, you're birthday, it's on the same day as the celebration." She whined, not sounding too serious about the matter, much to his relief.

"Yeah right," he said with a grin. "It's really not that cool."

She crossed her arms over her purple academy shirt. "Sure it is. If that was my birthday, I bet I'll get lots of presents!"

"Maybe," Naruto's grin widened. "I don't think I'll get a lot of presents just because of that."

"Whatever."

The pair walked on in silence before Naruto asked, "So, what're _you _getting me for my birthday, or do you not care enough to get me something." He faked an upset face, with equally fake tears gathering at his eyes.

"Idiot," Haruna said, not buying his act. She then smirked. "It's a secret."

"Oh, come on Haru," Naruto whined, "I've asked so many people and they won't tell me anything about the presents I'll be getting."

Her smirk deepened, and Naruto scowled, abandoning the subject.

As they kept moving, a blur suddenly struck him in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards before catching himself. He frowned a bit as he looked down at the object, no, the person who had run into him.

"Takashi?" Haruna asked, looking at the person who was now picking themselves of the dirt road.

The brown-haired Senju looked at them with a smile. "Hey guys," he said, looking to Naruto. "Sorry about that, Naruto."

"It's okay."

"So, Takashi didn't see you at the academy today." Haruna said. Naruto nodded, placing his hands behind his head.

"Couldn't go," he answered quickly, glancing nervously behind him. "Had to go somewhere with my mom." It made sense; his mother was part of the war council, just like Haruna's father.

"Why do you keep looking back there?" Naruto asked, craning his head forward. "Is there something wrong?"

Takashi nodded swiftly. "I'm gonna get t—"

The words in his throat were cut short as a bolt of blue lightning struck him in the back, bringing him to his knee with an alarmed cry.

Naruto and Haruna looked up to see someone jump from the top of a roof to them.

"I got you." The person said. His voice was male. "You're it!"

Naruto looked confused for a heartbeat, before grinning as he realized what they were playing. "Oh, you're playing tag?" He asked.

This tag was basically… tag, but to actually get tagged, you needed to be zapped by lightning, simple enough. It was a lightning bender's tag.

The boy nodded while Takashi stood up, frowning, "Hey, time out, that's not fair Saku, I was talking to them."

The boy shook his head, "oh well, you're problem." He said absent-mindedly.

"Yeah," Haruna said, "you shouldn't have stopped."

Naruto looked over at the slightly taller boy in front of him. "So, how many people are playing?" he asked, "'cause I wanna join."

"Me too," Haruna added.

"We have eight playing," he answered, thinking for a second. "But I guess you can play too."

"Okay!" Naruto said, grinning. It was one of his favorite games because he was actually pretty good at it. Who wasn't good at tag?

"Fine," Takashi glowered, before smirking. "Alright, then…"

A sudden current of electricity ran through Naruto, stunning him. His eyes went wide with surprise, and his body went rigid. He turned to his right and saw Takashi laughing like a mad man, before everyone ran away.

Takashi's voice—from wherever it came—reached his ears. "YOU'RE IT!"

* * *

"Okay, that's enough."

Naruto's shoulders sagged in relief as he promptly fell to the grassy ground, panting. He looked up at the sky, but shielded his eyes a moment later when the bright sun's rays entered them.

"You did well," Minato said, coming over to him.

He grinned.

"But, we're not quite finished yet," he added, and Naruto's face fell at the prospect of continuing the rigorous training.

He and his father had been on the training grounds for almost four hours, training him in areas of his lightning bending.

Speed was one of those aspects. His father—for most of their time on the grounds—had focused their exercises on his speed. He had to avoid getting struck by lightning while trying to get to a set point; though, the lightning wasn't enough to cause him serious harm, it still hurt, if he was hit… which he was.

He unconsciously rubbed his right arm when he remembered the shocks he experienced.

"Are we finished yet, tou-san?" Naruto grumbled. Usually he was up for training with his father, but not when it was dragged out so long. He was so sore, he could hardly move.

"Hey, you're the one who was so eager to train with me," Minato countered with a small grin, "What happened?"

"Nothing," Naruto answered, jumping to his feet. He wasn't the type to give up so easily, "Let's keep going."

"Ok then," Minato said, sitting on the grassy ground. He pointed to the twenty or so human silhouettes standing in front of them. "I want you to hit all of them."

Naruto let out a low sigh of relief. And then he realized how far the targets actually where.

"What?" He cried. The targets were about fifty-feet from where he stood. "But they're so far."

"I know, but you have really great aim. Trust me. Don't forget to use the lightning ball."

Naruto nodded and held his right arm out. He felt the spark flare up in his hand, growing bigger until it was a glowing white ball of lighting. Charges flew around his palms, but didn't affect him.

Taking a deep breath, he threw the ball of lightning.

In less than a second, it struck the one silhouette. The effect was spontaneous. Currents of electricity discharged from the ball, striking not only the one in the center, but five others near it.

When Naruto saw what he'd done, smiled brightly at his father. "I did it!"

"Yeah," said Minato, chuckling. "But your timing is still off."

"What do you mean?"

"You take a little too long to form the technique."

"Oh." Naruto replied.

Minato waved his hands dismissively. "Don't get me wrong. It's still good. I'm just saying that if this was a battle—and we were fighting—I wouldn't wait for you to charge your technique."

Naruto nodded and the blonde kage stood up, stretching. "One more thing, Naruto." Minato said.

Naruto almost groaned. He knew his father would now do some lecturing.

"Any good lightning bender doesn't use brute force alone in a battle," he said, then raised three fingers. "We use a combination of speed, force, and?" Minato asked.

Naruto thought for a moment before it all clicked, "Surprise," he finished. And in that moment he analyzed himself, seeing if he had been fighting with anything other than brute force.

Indeed he had.

He looked down at his palms, clenching and unclenching them, and then moved his eyes up to his father. "So, I'm not that great in speed and the surprise part?"

Minato nodded, "Your speed is alright, but when you face an opponent you'll want to be as unpredictable as possible. That way that person won't know what to expect when you strike. Combine this with brute force and speed… then you're a powerful opponent to anyone. You understand Naruto?"

Naruto hummed while scratching his whisker-marked cheek. "Yeah Tou-san, I get it. So, is that what you'll be training me in from now on?"

Again, Minato nodded, this time while standing up. "For now, yes I will, but we're finished with that part of the training."

He pulled out of the ground a sword and tossed it to Naruto, who caught it with ease, and then he unsheathed another attached to his back. "For the rest of our time here, I'll teach you how to stream Lightning down a blade."

"Stream… lightning?" Naruto asked, jumping unto his feet excitedly.

"Yes," Minato smiled. He held out his sword in front of his body, then—as if it were second nature—Lightning ran up the curved blade, giving it a dim glow.

Naruto stared up at the sword, his eyes widening in amazement. He had never seen his father, or anyone for the matter, perform this.

Sure, he had heard about the skill, but it was still something to see it in person. But hopefully it wouldn't be too difficult.

Minato looked at him, stopping the lightning's movement around the sword. "By channeling Lightning in and around the sword, you'll increase its cutting power by miles," he said, while motioning Naruto over to a tree. "When I do this, cutting through solid steel becomes as easy as slicing a piece of paper."

Naruto bounced around. "So, how does it work?"

"Keep in mind Naruto," Minato replied, frowning a bit. "This technique is not to be taken lightly or used ignorantly. You could seriously injure a person with it… so you can't try this anywhere else, until you master it."

Naruto deflated at his words.

"And unless Kushina or I are present… _and _only in emergency situations," He finished. Naruto nodded slowly while Minato continued. "One more thing about this is that your cutting range is also extended."

Naruto looked confused, his previous disappointment forgotten.

"Ok, I'll show you."

Once more Minato's sword was bathed in lightning, filling the air with a small, distant sound that almost resembled the chirping of birds. He took the blade and held it in front of the tree, its tip about six inches from the trunk. But even at that distance, a deep nick had been made in the tree.

Naruto marveled at the sight as his father slid the blade through the air, lengthening the cut, still without the tip touching the tree.

"Wow!" Naruto exclaimed when his father pulled back his blade.

"Now," Minato said, smiling again, "You're gonna learn to do this."

* * *

Naruto groaned in agitation, sweat dripping down his face. He held his sword tightly, closing his eyes in a moment of focus.

Lightning sparked around the blade for a heartbeat, only to dissipate as he attempted to move it, even slightly.

"Why can't I get this right?" He asked, more to himself than anyone else.

He held the sword again, going through the same routine as he had done for almost an hour now, but with the same result. However, this time he managed to swing before the visible electrical current running through the blade dissipated.

He dropped the blade to the grass, running both hands through his golden locks in frustration.

His father explained to him in detail how to stream lightning, but no matter how hard he tried, he only managed to stream the lightning for a second at most; trying to move the blade while running Lightning through it was even harder.

In order to achieve the technique he had to continuously run Lightning from his body into the blade without pause. If he faltered for even a second, the lightning's motion would cease.

At first, when his father had explained it to him he felt as though it wasn't too difficult of a task. But when he tried it, it didn't go too well.

His father said that the key to achieving the technique was to think of the blade as a part of your body. It was easy to run Lightning down your arms or legs because they _were _part of your body. When it came to something that _wasn't_ part of your body, it was a different story.

"Well, I think we're finished here."

Naruto turned around and saw Minato walking towards him. He had been in a tree, watching him, but providing no assistance. Minato said it was good, good for him to figure things out on his own because the truth of the matter was that parents wouldn't always be with their children forever.

"That's it?" Naruto cried out in surprise, "But I haven't gotten this yet."

"Sure you have," Minato answered. Naruto didn't understand.

"I could barely move the sword while running lightning through it," he exclaimed, "how was that good?"

Minato ruffled Naruto's blonde hair, causing him to look up at him. "Well, maybe because when I was your age I didn't even know how to do what you're doing, and even when I started to learn, it took me four days just to move the sword an inch without messing up the technique."

"Really?" Naruto asked, and Minato nodded. "What about Kaa-san?"

Minato smiled. "Two weeks, that's how long."

Naruto couldn't help it, his face displayed such a wide grin that Minato laughed.

"Come on," Minato said, patting his back, "How about some… ramen?"

By the time Minato looked up, Naruto was halfway through the train grounds shouting "Hurry" over his shoulders.

Minato made sure to check his wallet before following after his son.

* * *

"Hello, Minato-sama, Naruto-kun." A girl with brown hair greeted from behind the counter. She gave both of them a bright smile before another man with a small cap emerged from the back of the Kitchen.

"Ah, may I take you're orders?" he asked.

Naruto rubbed his palms together, smiling. "I'll have four bowls of miso ramen, please."

"I'll have one bowl of miso," Minato answered. He wasn't a huge ramen fan like his wife and son, but he was surely relieved that Naruto hadn't ordered ten bowls—or more—and trully relieved that Kushina wasn't here. He would have probably had to use a year's wages to pay off the bill.

"Ok." The older man, Teuchi answered and left for the Kitchen.

Minato turned to Naruto. "Hey, I forgot, your mother has something to show you. Just go to the tower when we're finished here, okay?"

Naruto nodded quickly, already smelling the contents of the ramen.

* * *

His mother was next to him, walking casually to their next destination. The buildings around them were starting to get smaller, less modern, and grayer than the ones located near the middle of the village.

They definitely needed a repainting, or to be demolished.

By now the sun was already starting to sink, beyond the horizon.

It didn't take him long to realize that they were in the older parts of the village of lightning. He had only actually been here once—ok he passed it from time to time—but he'd never really had a chance to pause and take in his villages' past.

It was enough to make him feel guilty.

This place was an important part of his nation's history.

Looking around more, he realized that there were fewer people walking around in this area than that of the center of the village. And the people were older too.

"Are you interested in this place, Naruto?" Kushina asked from her position to his left.

He nodded. "Yeah," he said, "well I already know stuff like how it's been kept intact since the civil war." The low-pitched groan of a small house made him add, "Mostly intact."

Kushina laughed, "Yeah, mostly."

"Are people allowed to be here?" Naruto asked after a moment. He had noticed how only a few people were actually in the area, but they had uniforms on as if they were working. He also noticed that many soldiers were all over the place, probably patrolling. He wondered why none of them had confronted him yet, but he remembered he was with his mother. Maybe that put them at ease, but it didn't matter, he'd still prank them sooner or later, most likely sooner.

"Nope," his mother answered, shaking her head, "only carpenters and soldiers are allowed to be here. Civilians can only use the designated paths."

"Where are we going then?" Naruto asked, a new excitement bubbled in him. Whenever he and his mother went somewhere new, it was always bound to be awesome, especially now that they were somewhere restricted to the pubic, unless given permission.

"There," Kushina pointed, to the massive hill that towered over the rest of the village. It was even taller than the kage tower, which stood at the center of the village. This indicted that they were at the end of the city because the buildings stopped just one-hundred meters from the hill, and the rest was grass.

Aside from the stairs that led to the top of the mini-mountain and the grass and trees growing to the sides, there was nothing.

"What? Kaa-san, why are we going there?"

Taking a trip to the hill wasn't exactly his definition of exciting, in spite of the fact that the very top was his favorite place in the whole village. There he could see all of the activity below.

Kushina grinned, pulling him in front of her. "Oh, we're not going _there_ Naruto." She led him to the left side of the hill. They walked a few more meters, until the trees were beginning to be more numerous and the dirt beneath their feet was more of grass.

Naruto didn't say a word, just followed. If he knew his mom even half as good as he did, he would know she wouldn't take him to a _dumb_ place.

She stopped, and it was then that Naruto noticed a pair of soldiers, arrayed in the dark and purple armor of the land of lightning, patrolling the area.

"Um…" Naruto began, but Kushina stopped him from speaking.

"Kushina-sama," one of them greeted while the other bowed his head.

"Hey you two," the redhead said informally, as if they were best friends. "Can you keep watch while I go under?"

"Oh, sure," The one who spoke earlier said, and then his gaze dropped to Naruto, "You going in, Naruto?"

Naruto smiled, giving the man a thumbs-up. "You bet," he said, even though he didn't know what he meant by 'going in'.

"Alright, move aside Naruto," Kushina prompted, and he obeyed.

_What's Kaa-san doing, _he thought. And almost as she'd read his mind she answered.

"Just watch Naru-chan."

Well, it wasn't much of an answer. But he did as he was told, stood to the side.

Kushina stooped down to the grassy ground and moved away what Naruto though was grass, but it was not grass, it was more like a pad that looked like grass. She tossed it aside, revealing a golden plate wedged into the ground.

Naruto gawked at the sight, moving closer to it. The circular golden plate was at least ten-feet in diameter, and it was decorated in many carvings, notably the two lions each with their mouths open. Lightning was carved in the center.

"We're going somewhere special," She finally said, smiling at his surprised expression. "My father brought me here when I was your age."

"What is it?" he asked. Kushina stepped into the center of the circle.

"It's the underground scroll room that contains records of our history, our numerous fighting styles, and best kept secrets."

Naruto nodded slowly, surprised that his mother would be showing him—a seven-year-old—the nations' place of secrets. "Don't you think…I'm not old enough yet?"

Kushina smiled warmly at him, looking at him from her place on the metal circle. "I trust you."

"Okay."

She took a strange stance, stretching her arms out. With two fingers on each hand pointing down, towards the two sculpted lion's open jaws, she focused. Suddenly, lighting steamed down her pointed fingers and entered the two lions.

It took only a second, and Kushina was stepping off the golden plate. Naruto was about to ask what had happen before he felt a minor tremor, rattling the ground beneath his feet.

He looked down and saw the plate part in opposite directions, opening up a strange and foreign place to him.

As the plate continued to separate, all he could see in there was complete darkness, which made him slightly uneasy. But his excitement and curiosity outweighed his uneasiness by tons, so much so that he was practically bouncing.

"Cool," Naruto grinned, while glancing to his mother. The two men behind him chuckled at his enthusiasm.

"Have fun."

"Just don't break anything."

Kushina beckoned him to her. "Alright, let's go." And they descended into the darkness.

* * *

Minato leaned back in his chair, stifling a small sigh of sorts before continuing to read the scroll in his hands.

"Minato-sama…?"

Minato looked up at the person in front of him. She was dressed in the standard military uniform, dark pants, with a purple armored vest.

"Yes? I thought you'd left," Minato replied.

The girl brushed away a few strands of dark-red hair. "I was about to leave but I realized you had a visitor." She pointed behind him, out the glass window, "Thought you didn't notice."

"Oh, I noticed." Minato smiled, "You can go now."

She looked a little unsure, "But what if—"

"Don't worry, he's not a threat," he said, waving her off, "Go ahead."

Once she left, Minato stood up from his chair and moved to the windows behind him. He stopped and looked out the window, seeing half of the city out below him. He couldn't see the village because the kage tower stood in the center, so he could only observe one part of the city.

There was a knock on the windows. Minato moved to open the huge glass window, allowing the person entrance.

"Jiraiya-sensei," he addressed with a smile as the person slipped in.

"The one and only," the new arrival said, closing the massive window behind him. His snow-white hair was spiky. In fact, so spiky, that one might think a _Boarcupine_ had taken shelter upon his scalp. Adding to that, his clothes were certainly a sight to behold.

Minato smiled the more as Jiraiya came and flopped down on one of the seats in his office. "I'm sure you had a good trip?"

"Yeah," he replied, scowling. "Every thing was going great until you left me locked outside for twenty minutes. Suppose I had slipped and fallen to my death, huh?"

By now Minato was laughing. "How about next time you use the door like a normal person would."

"Naruto would have done the same thing." Jiraiya countered.

"Yes, but Naruto's seven-years-old."

"Sure is." The white-haired man leaned back into the chair, "By the way, how's the little brat doing?"

Minato smiled, a glint of pride flashing in his eyes. "He's doing well; Top of his class in the academy, and well on his way to surpassing both of us."

"You taught him the rasengan yet?" Jiraiya asked.

"No, I was actually hoping you would start teaching him." Minato replied. He wasn't sure if he would have the time, with him being Raikage and all the planning that would go into the upcoming celebration.

"Hmm," Jiraiya mused. "I'll do it, but I'm only staying for two weeks. Three weeks tops."

"Ok," Minato said, satisfied with his answer, but slightly confused. "You're not staying for the celebration, or for Naruto's birthday? He hasn't seen you in four months."

"Can't," Jiraiya said, a twinge of regret resounding in his voice. "Places to go, beautiful women to see, you know."

"Yeah."

"But I did get him a present, something real nice." Jiraiya added. He started to reach for something on his back when two soldiers burst through the doors, flushed and panting. There was look of urgency in their eyes.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" he asked, annoyed. Minato merely dismissed their interruption as nothing meant in disrespect.

"We apologize for interrupting sir, but we've received an important message."

"A message…?" Minato asked with a small incline of his head.

When one of them held up the red scroll, Minato already knew its origin. And confirming his suspicion was the golden seal that was instantly recognized as the fire nation emblem.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry about the long wait, for those who were waiting. I've been kinda busy with stuff, but I'm back. This chapter was very difficult to write, especially the fire nation scene, because I didn't know what the war council meeting was like. However, to my relief, the sozin's comet episodes were airing at ten o'clock a few days back and I recorded it on my DVR. Thankfully there was the one scene when Ozai and the general and Admirals were planning to burn down the earth Kingdom, so it helped.

**Akatsuki: **They will play major role in the attack and later on.

**Lightning bending: **I will go into more about it later, but I believe the part with Minato and Naruto explained some lightning techniques. Many of them will resemble the lightning jutsu Sasuke uses. Naruto is a prodigy, but by no means all-powerful. He won't win all of his battles easily, and he definitely wont be taking out grown soldiers when he's only seven.

**Haruna: **She's not a main character, but she is very close to Naruto, and her eventual death will greatly affect him.

**Resengan: **Can't be Naruto without it.

**Done: Ni6 **


End file.
